People who deny that humans are wreaking havoc on the planet’s life-support systems astound me. When confronted with the obvious damage we’re doing to the biosphere—from climate change to water and air pollution to swirling plastic patches in the oceans—some dismiss the reality or employ logical fallacies to discredit the messengers. More…

Delhi in India is one of the most polluted cities in the world. The widespread use of festival fireworks, the burning of rubbish by the city’s poor, plus farm waste from around the city, vehicular emissions and construction dust, all contribute to the city’s thick fogs.

A team of researchers from the US, India and Singapore will be attempting some time next year to clean up the air around a coal-fired plant in Delhi. More…

Re-think Your Kitchen

# BYOB—Bring your own (grocery) bags. If you need to buy some new ones, look for bags that are cotton or hemp. Or make bags of old T-shirts, cheesecloth or any leftover fabric.
# Avoid soda bottles by making your own carbonated drinks. There are plenty of carbonators available, add your favorite flavors and juices into the carbonated water and that’s it. More…

Re-think Your Bathroom

# Abstain from microbeads. Check the labels of exfoliating products like face scrubs and your toothpaste and make sure they don’t list ingredients like polyethylene and polypropylene.
# Make your own homemade nontoxic cleansers and exfoliators. (See: http://www.rodalewellness.com/living/diy-skin-care) More…

China and the US have formally ratified a historic climate change agreement drawn up in Paris to cut emissions and fight climate change. Speaking on the eve of the G20 summit in Hangzhou on Saturday, Mr Obama said: “History will judge today’s effort as pivotal.” The US and China are together responsible for 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. More…

Re-think Your Garbage

# Adopt a mindfulness practise to curb the urge to buy so much plastic stuff.
# Take your own reusable containers for takeout.
# Reuse any grocery or shopping bags you already have on hand as smaller wastebaskets. More…